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'Venkatesh Iyer is certainly not out of contention for the games to come'- Brendon McCullum

Venkatesh Iyer was a revelation for Kolkata Knight Riders in the second half of the Indian Premier League 2021. The left-hander churned out sensational performances in the UAE to take his team to the final. Iyer’s brilliant run in the T20 league gave him a chance to don the blue jersey and knock on the selectors' doors for the T20 World Cup 2022.

KKR showed faith in the all-rounder for the next season, and they retained him ahead of the mega-auction. However, Venkatesh has failed to repay the trust of the management in IPL 2022. The Madhya Pradesh stalwart is struggling to even find a place in the playing XI.

In nine matches, Iyer has scored only 132 runs at a disappointing average of 16.50 and strike rate of 97.78. Following a torrid run, he was dropped from the playing XI and the chances of his comeback seem slim. 

Amidst the tough times for the southpaw, KKR head coach Brendon McCullum backed the all-rounder to make a comeback. Speaking in a press conference. Brendon revealed that Iyer is working hard in the nets and he will soon regain his lost form. 

“Yeah, obviously, he did not get as many runs as he would have liked to, Venkatesh. We were sort of forced into a situation where we had to look for other options. That’s obviously disappointing for someone who has represented India in the last 7-8 months on the back of what was a very good IPL last time in the UAE.

That’s a little bit of frustrating for him as well. He is working hard at the nets, trying to get his form back. That will certainly be a consideration. He is certainly not out of contention for the games to come,” McCullum said after KKR’s loss against Lucknow Super Giants.

Venkatesh’s comeback in the KKR line-up looks like a far-fetched dream for this season as the Knight Riders have now settled for new options. However, the head coach has kept the doors open for Venkatesh. 

“It’s Venky’s second year. Teams do a little bit more homework, it’s been historically the case in this tournament even in international cricket,” the former New Zealand captain added.

“It’s an opportunity for Venkatesh to work on his game and improve, to come back stronger. He is a real talent, has got a good head on his shoulders. I know he is determined to take that next step and start to perform more regularly,” Brendon McCullum concluded.

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Babar, Shaheen and Rizwan are better than Kohli, Bumrah and Pant, says Aqib Javed

Former fast bowler Aqib Javed has claimed that Pakistan stars Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammed Rizwan are better players than their respective Indian counterparts Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant. Javed said that although the aforementioned Indian players are extremely skilful, their Pakistani counterparts are doing much better at the international level currently which ultimately makes them better players. The comparison between Virat and Babar has been simmering for quite a while now. Talking about this comparison, Javed asserted that Kohli is already past his prime, whereas Babar’s stature as a cricketer is gradually increasing with each passing day. Therefore, the Lahore Qalandar’s head coach believes that the Pakistan captain is a superior batsman to the Indian legend at present. “Now I think Babar is ahead. Kohli had his peak but now he is going down. But Babar, on the other hand, is going up”, Javed said. Answering the question regarding the better bowler between Bumrah and Afridi, Javed said that the latter came into the scene when Bumrah already established himself as a fierysome fast bowler. But the former has proved himself an even better bowler on many occasions. “I now think that Shaheen is better than Bumrah because when Shaheen came into the international circuit Bumrah had already established himself and the critics used to say that Bumrah is doing well in Tests, T20Is, and so but now Shaheen has proved he is even better and has more capacity than Bumrah,” Javed was quoted by ARY News. Aqib Javed, who represented Pakistan in 185 international matches, also gave his opinion on the constant comparisons between Rizwan and Pant. The Punjab-born pacer said that although Pant is a ferocious hitter of the cricket ball, the art of taking responsibility with utmost perfection makes Rizwan a finer batsman. “Rizwan is better than Pant these days. There is no doubt that Pant is an extremely skilful player but the way Rizwan takes the responsibility, Pant is well behind him. It is often said that Pant is an aggressive player, but the aggressiveness doesn’t mean to hit a couple of big shots and got out but to stay at the crease, fight, and finish the game,” the 49-year-old concluded.